The health system also plans to open a liver transplant outreach clinic in Sidney, Ohio, in the coming weeks.
UC Health provides Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s only comprehensive adult organ transplant program, and the outreach clinics will enable more individuals awaiting an organ transplant to receive access to advanced, life-saving medical care close to home.
“Our outreach clinics allow us to provide better access to patients in their own communities,” said Amit Govil, MD, medical director of kidney transplantation for UC Health. “We are able to go directly to the patient and eliminate their need to travel to the Clifton campus for nonsurgical visits. Through these outreach clinics and the use of telehealth, we hope to provide better access and expedited care to patients in their communities.”
At a clinic visit, pre-transplant patients meet with a physician and a transplant nurse for a health screening and also consult with Cincinnati-based transplant and nephrology social workers via video. Patients are typically referred to the clinic from a physician and/or dialysis unit, but they may also self-refer.
“Our patients often thank me for the opportunity to be cared for closer to home,” said Erin Tims, RN. “Our outreach clinics bring hope, reassurance and support to our patients in a time of need, and I am glad we can expand access to this high-quality care and support to more patients.”
UC Health’s network of transplant outreach clinics also includes locations in Portsmouth, Dayton, Kettering, Lima and in Lexington. Clinics are also located on UC Health’s Clifton and West Chester Campuses.
Nearly 300 kidney, liver and heart transplants were performed at UC Health’s University of Cincinnati Medical Center in 2018. UC Medical Center ranks 16th in the nation among liver transplant centers and 40th in the nation among kidney transplant centers for the number of transplants performed, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
To refer a patient or schedule a visit at an outreach clinic, please call 513-584-3788.